Aol

[susanmom]

Hi

 

Back in 2005 (March) we moved house and changed internet service providers, was about to contact AOL to inform them that we were cancelling but before I could, received an email from AOL saying that as the phone line was now inactive, they were cancelling the contract. Most impressed! They then continued to debit my IF account with 26.99 per month! Eventually stopped teh payment with the credit card company but have received no AOL refund. I then had problems getting my capital one card statements to go to my new address (another story), and have finally resolved that issue and have found that AOL have been charging me 17.99 per month since May 2005 on that card instead. Contacted AOL and they said they they cancelled my AOL account in December and not March and claim that they haven't taken anything since!

"Where reference to the account we would like to inform that the account was cancelled on 21/12/05 and you have not been charged ever since on the account by the credit card. However if are still getting charged on your credit card please contact the Member Services at 0870 320 2020 from 0800 am to midnight seven days a week so that they could find out if you have another account or not.

 

If you require any further help, please feel free to visit our online support at AOL Keyword: Help. This offers full information on all aspects of your AOL account, with answers to the most frequently asked questions and links to other helpful resources."

What do you advise in terms of getting a refund on these charges?

 

Thanks

 

Susan

[dave]

Well, you could write to them saying that you can provide proof that they have taken the money and they will write back and say "no you can't" and it'd probably go on and on until a) you give up, or b) it turns into a panto.

 

I would write them a letter stating that unless the money is returned to you within 14 days that you will start legal proceedings against them for recovery through the small claims court.

 

Then, if you don't get the money back within 14 days (with the 8% APR as allowed by the County Court Act 1984) do so.

[Rebel UK]

Contact the Credit Card Company, explain the issue and demand that they give you the money back, if you have notice of the cancellation or confirmation from AOHell that they stopped taking your money then the CC Company is obliged to refund your money and their insurers will then chase AOHell for the funds deducted.

 

Rebel

[bitbob]

Dodgy Boilers.........

[Movingon]

Susanmom -

 

I would be extremely careful using words like the one in your title on an open forum; you could not only get yourself into serious trouble, but Consumer Action Group itself, too... for LIBEL.

[trundlecat]

Are they still up to this old trick? It happened to me back in 1999. Tried them for a months "free trial", had to put card details in to ge the trial & found out 6 months later they'd been billing the card every month. I wasn't aware of the small claims option back then & put it down to experience but I'd certainly do it now. The more people who take action the more inclined they might be to stop doing this.

[susanmom]

Hi

I contacted AOL and gave them 14 days to refund me, nothing has happened. I am in the process of preparing a claim on www.moneyclaim.co.uk and wanted a bit of advice on the wording. This is what I have put so far

 

The defendent has unlawfully and without permission taken an amount £397.76 from two of the claimant's credit cards and despite communication, has taken no steps to refund the amount.

The claimant claims interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 at the rate of 8% a year from 23 February 2005 to 30 May 2006 of £ XXX and also interest at the same rate up to the date of judgment or earlier payment at a daily rate of XX.

What do you think?

[Rebel UK]

Susan

 

Have you talked to your CC companies first ? as per my previous post, If you have not given permission for them to take the money or cancelled the account and they still took the money, your CC company is obliged by law to refund you and then THEY chase AOL for the debt.

 

Rebel

[susanmom]

HI

But in the one case it goes back to Feb 2005 (didn't spot it as credit card company were too useless to change my address and then cut off my internet banking as I was overlimit due to AOL plus overlimit charges)...how far can I ask them to reverse? and do they have to?

Thanks

 

Susan

[Rebel UK]

If you have proof you cancelled your AOL account or stopped the payments by informing AOL to cancel then Yes they must pay you and you can go back as far as 6 years.

 

From my memory of working for AOL though, it clearly states when you sign up for an account EVEN if it is just the trial period, the onus is on you to cancel the account at the end of your trial period, if you do not, you automatically get placed on the low user monthly billing rate, you are told to go to Keyword BILLING and cancel before the end of your trial period when you sign up, they expect you to cancel it, not them, but if you did cancel then you claim it all back.

 

Rebel

[susanmom]

HI

In the first case they emailed me to confirm that the account has been cancelled but in the second case where more money is involved, (1) AOL can't even tell me which screenname the debit is for, (2) it is for a different amount to the actual AOL plan we had signed up to and cancelled, (3) it started at around the time that the account we cancelled stopped and (4) I had never given that credit detail to AOL!!!! (so nothing to cancel)

 

Susan

[Rebel UK]

Well then susan,

 

In every case here your credit card company legally has to reimburse you and then they reclaim it from AOL. If they find a way to worm out of it, go ahead with your claim, AOL will pay up simply to avoid bad press, one customer asking for money back is not worth their time and resource to fight in a court claim and find themselves in a bad press scenario, they'll repay you.

 

Rebel

[susanmom]

HI

 

Have contacted the credit card companies as you kind folk suggested and have submitted copies of all documents to their disputes departments.

 

So fingers crossed

 

Susan

[katielawrence1987]

I have had the same problem with AOL. my nan contacted her CC company got the money back, but then AOL passed on the debt to a third party and my nan ended up paying it as it was in her name and bless her she got scared. So I am now going to write to aol demanding the money in 14 days or I will take them through the courts.

 

I have a problem though. My nan cancelled over the phone but they deny all knowledge of this phone call and so the only proof I have is that I started using a different internet company in this time frame but hopefully that will be enough proof in the courts. If me and my nan turn up to the court I hope the judge will be on our side and not some big multinational thieving machine.

[Rebel UK]

katie,

 

get telephone bills from the telephone company with the phonecalls listed, you'll find the AOL call there, of course they'll deny it it is easier for them to do that than argue it then have to pay up. Get the telephone bills for the time you changed internet, find the AOL number, there is your proof of calling them.

 

go from there.

 

Rebel

[katielawrence1987]

Rebel,

 

I never thought of that, what a great idea that is! Ill get on to BT straight away.

 

Thank you very much!

 

Katie

[susanmom]

This topic was closed on 10 March 2019.

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